+OK 14591 octets Received: from smtp12.nwnexus.com (smtp12.nwnexus.com [206.63.63.60]) by mail3.halcyon.com (8.8.8/8.8.8) with ESMTP id GAA05442 for ; Tue, 9 Nov 1999 06:23:59 -0800 (PST) Received: from ml.egroups.com (ml.egroups.com [207.138.41.146]) by smtp12.nwnexus.com (8.8.8/8.8.8) with SMTP id GAA11508 for ; Tue, 9 Nov 1999 06:23:57 -0800 (PST) X-eGroups-Return: h-bd-return-2053-arthurhu=halcyon.com@returns.egroups.com Received: from [10.1.2.1] by ml.egroups.com with NNFMP; 09 Nov 1999 14:23:56 -0000 Mailing-List: contact h-bd-owner@egroups.com X-Mailing-List: h-bd@egroups.com X-URL: http://www.egroups.com/list/h-bd/ Received: (listserv 1.276); by m5; 09 Nov 1999 14:23:55 -0000 Delivered-To: listsaver-egroups-h-bd@egroups.com Received: (qmail 27185 invoked from network); 9 Nov 1999 14:23:47 -0000 Received: from vesuve.globetrotter.net (142.169.1.81) by qg.egroups.com with SMTP; 9 Nov 1999 14:23:47 -0000 Received: from pfrost (ts1-16.f2007.quebectel.com [142.169.162.156]) by vesuve.globetrotter.net (8.9.3/8.9.3) with SMTP id JAA13147; Tue, 9 Nov 1999 09:23:41 -0500 (EST) Message-ID: <003201bf2abe$3abbc400$9ca2a98e@pfrost> From: "Peter Frost" To: , References: <0.da56ac4d.255871b9@aol.com> Date: Tue, 9 Nov 1999 09:24:16 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.00.2615.200 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2615.200 Subject: [h-bd] Re: First Americans from Europe? Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_002D_01BF2A94.3152CE60" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Status: ------=_NextPart_000_002D_01BF2A94.3152CE60 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable > I suspect that this > is one of the mechanisms underlying Peter's theory explaining the > blonde-ification of Northern Europeans. The more women had to compete wit= h > each other for husbands, the more valuable extremely conspicuous features > like blonde hair came in attracting male attention. The sexual attractiveness of blonde hair probably depends on the proportion of blondes in the population. For instance, blonde women seem to be more appreciated in French culture than in Anglo-American culture. This may explain why blondes are nowhere in the majority (even in Sweden, the proportion is, I think, only 40%). Once blonde hair became too common, sexual selection would have shifted towards more unusual colors. If intense sexual selection had lasted long enough, mutations for green and blue hair would have eventually arisen and been retained. > 2. The East Asian question -- One of the big mysteries is how closely related > are Northeast Asians and Southeast Asians. Peter offers a prehistorical > scenario that might explain Cavalli-Sforza's findings that Northeast Asians > and Southeast Asians are genetically quite distinct, with a major racial > dividing line around the latitude of Shanghai. On the other hand, > Cavalli-Sforza doesn't seem to believe his own data, since the two groups > sure look a lot alike. The differences between north and south Chinese may reflect differing degrees of intermixture with an older, probably Australoid-like population. Prior to the Malay expansion some three thousand years ago, southeast Asia was inhabited by people much like the native inhabitants of Australia and New Guinea. The same was probably true for south China at an earlier period. > In summary, there doesn't seem to be much evidence of a North-South gradient > of sexual selection in East Asia. How come? Since the last ice age, East Asia has changed much more ethnologically than Europe has, i.e., Mongoloid agriculturalists have been pushing south at the expense of Australoid hunter-gatherers. In addition, conditions were probably less optimal for sexual selection in East Asia than in Europe. During the hunting-gathering stage of human evolution, three main factors seem to have influenced the operational sex ratio (i.e., the ratio of unmated males to unmated females): 1. The difference in death rates between adult men and women. 2. Food provisioning constraints on polygyny. 3. Female infanticide. The first factor reflects the relative dangers of hunting and food gathering. Hunting becomes proportionately more dangerous as one moves awa= y from the equator. The sex difference in death rates reaches a maximum in arctic environments, apparently because of the hazards of walking in subzer= o temperatures over unstable terrain with no alternate sources of food. The second factor also becomes more important as one moves away from the equator. Opportunities for food gathering are reduced during the cold season and become minimal in arctic tundra environments. Women thus contribute proportionately less to the family food supply and the costs of polygyny become too high for all but the ablest hunters. The third factor appears to be confined to hunter-gatherers with low population densities. In such a context, a daughter will almost certainly marry into another band and never be seen again. Or only infrequently. Neither she nor her husband will help provide for her parents in later years. In arctic regions, high rates of female infanticide appear to be confined to the desertic regions of Canada's high arctic. In low arctic regions, female infanticide is sporadic, because there is a grater likelihood that a daughter will maintain contact with her parents after marriage. During the Upper Paleolithic, the Eurasian tundra belt ran much further north in Asia than it did in Europe. There is a general consensus that population densities on Europe's tundra plains were high, because the food supply was quite substantial. We know less about Asia's tundra belt, but much of it was clearly arctic desert. If we add up these three factors, the surplus of unmated women should have reached a maximum in arctic tundra environments with high population densities. The closest match for such an environment would be the low-latitude tundra plains that once existed in Europe during the last ice age. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Peter Frost Group d'=E9tudes Inuit et circumpolaires Universit=E9 Laval Sainte-Foy (Qu=E9bec) G1K 7P4 CANADA L'homme qui veut faire l'ange finit par faire la b= =EAte. Tel. (418) 683-1740 Website: http://www.globetrotter.net/gt/usagers/pfrost ------------------------------------------------------------------------ How to contribute to H-Bd: 1. To reply privately to just the sender of this= message, click the "Reply" button on your email package. 2. To reply publi= cly to the entire H-Bd list, click the "Reply All" (or equivalent) button o= n your email package. 3. To start a thread, email your message to h-bd@egro= ups.com = -- Easily schedule meetings and events using the group calendar! -- http://www.egroups.com/cal?listname=3Dh-bd&m=3D1 ------=_NextPart_000_002D_01BF2A94.3152CE60 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable
> I suspect that this
> is o= ne of the = mechanisms underlying Peter's theory explaining the
> blonde-ificatio= n of = Northern Europeans. The more women had to compete with
> each other f= or = husbands, the more valuable extremely conspicuous features
> like blo= nde = hair came in attracting male attention.


The sexual attractivenes= s of = blonde hair probably depends on the proportion
of blondes in the = population.  For instance, blonde women seem to be more
appreciated= in = French culture than in Anglo-American culture.  This may
explain wh= y = blondes are nowhere in the majority (even in Sweden, the
proportion is, = I = think, only 40%).  Once blonde hair became too common,
sexual selec= tion = would have shifted towards more unusual colors.  If
intense sexual = selection had lasted long enough,  mutations for green and
blue hai= r = would have eventually arisen and been retained.



> 2. The = East = Asian question -- One of the big mysteries is how closely
related
>= ; are = Northeast Asians and Southeast Asians.  Peter offers a = prehistorical
> scenario that might explain Cavalli-Sforza's findings= that = Northeast
Asians
> and Southeast Asians are genetically quite dist= inct, = with a major racial
> dividing line around the latitude of Shanghai. = On = the other hand,
> Cavalli-Sforza doesn't seem to believe his own data= , = since the two groups
> sure look a lot alike.


The differen= ces = between north and south Chinese may reflect differing
degrees of intermi= xture = with an older, probably Australoid-like population.
Prior to the Malay = expansion some three thousand years ago, southeast Asia
was inhabited by= = people much like the native inhabitants of Australia and
New Guinea.&nbs= p; = The same was probably true for south China at an = earlier
period.


> In summary, there doesn't seem to be muc= h = evidence of a North-South
gradient
> of sexual selection in East A= sia. = How come?


Since the last ice age, East Asia has changed much mor= e = ethnologically than
Europe has, i.e., Mongoloid agriculturalists have be= en = pushing south at the
expense of Australoid hunter-gatherers.  In = addition, conditions were
probably less optimal for sexual selection in = East = Asia than in Europe.
During the hunting-gathering stage of human evoluti= on, = three main factors
seem to have influenced the operational sex ratio (i.= e., = the ratio of
unmated males to unmated females):

1.  The = difference in death rates between adult men and women.
2.  Food = provisioning constraints on polygyny.
3.  Female infanticide.
The = first factor reflects the relative dangers of hunting and = food
gathering.  Hunting becomes proportionately more dangerous as = one = moves away
from the equator.  The sex difference in death rates rea= ches = a maximum in
arctic environments, apparently because of the hazards of = walking in subzero
temperatures over unstable terrain with no alternate = sources of food.

The second factor also becomes more important as on= e = moves away from the
equator.  Opportunities for food gathering are = reduced during the cold
season and become minimal in arctic tundra = environments.  Women thus
contribute proportionately less to the fa= mily = food supply and the costs of
polygyny become too high for all but the ab= lest = hunters.

The third factor appears to be confined to hunter-gatherers= with = low
population densities.  In such a context, a daughter will almos= t = certainly
marry into another band and never be seen again.  Or only= = infrequently.
Neither she nor her husband will help provide for her pare= nts = in later
years.  In arctic regions, high rates of female infanticid= e = appear to be
confined to the desertic regions of Canada's high arctic.&n= bsp; = In low arctic
regions, female infanticide is sporadic, because there is = a = grater
likelihood that a daughter will maintain contact with her parents= = after
marriage. During the Upper Paleolithic, the Eurasian tundra belt r= an = much
further north in Asia than it did in Europe.  There is a gener= al = consensus
that population densities on Europe's tundra plains were high,= = because the
food supply was quite substantial.  We know less about = Asia's tundra belt,
but much of it was clearly arctic desert.

If = we = add up these three factors, the surplus of unmated women should have
rea= ched = a maximum in arctic tundra environments with high population
densities.&= nbsp; = The closest match for such an environment would be the
low-latitude tund= ra = plains that once existed in Europe during the last = ice
age.

--------------------------------------------------------= -------------------
Dr. = Peter Frost

Group d'=E9tudes Inuit et circumpolaires
Universit=E9= = Laval
Sainte-Foy (Qu=E9bec)
G1K 7P4 = CANADA
           = ;            &n= bsp; = L'homme qui veut faire l'ange finit par faire la b=EAte.
Tel. (= 418) = 683-1740

Website: http://www.globetrot= ter.net/gt/usagers/pfrost
= = 3D"Click =
How to contribute to H-Bd: 1. To reply privately to just the sender of this= message, click the "Reply" button on your email package. 2. To rep= ly publicly to the entire H-Bd list, click the "Reply All" (or equi= valent) button on your email package. 3. To start a thread, email your mess= age to h-bd@egroups.com =

eGroups.com Home: http://www.= egroups.com/group/h-bd
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